New projection: Virginia population is still growing, but at a sluggish pace
By Michael Pope Published July 22, 2026 at 4:46 AM EDT
Virginia currently has about 8.9 million people, and that population is projected to grow to 9.5 million by 2050. So that’s growth, but a sluggish pace compared to the Baby Boom that happened after World War II, which created an echo boom of millennials.
Here's the projection from the University of Virginia.
"The U.S. population is projected to continue growing, but at a slower pace," says Sol Baik, a senior researcher at the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.
"The speed of the population growth is slowing down, mainly due to the low birth rate and population aging."
"The Baby Boomer generation will all be over 65 by 2030, so that's why we still see some growth, but the growth rate reduces between 2030 to 2040," Baik says. "So, that's why the total population growth rate is declining over time."
One trend identified by the latest numbers: The South is capturing a growing share of the population, expanding from 38% in 2020 to 43% by 2050.
Editor's Note: July 21, 2026 at 4:35 PM EDT
The University of Virginia is a financial supporter of Radio IQ.
